Facing Veto Threat, Senate Debates Counterterror Funds

By CARL HULSE

Published: June 5, 2002

WASHINGTON, June 4—
The Senate today took up a $31.4 billion emergency counterterrorism measure that Republican critics called too expensive and replete with spending that had little or nothing to do with responding to the Sept. 11 attacks. The White House threatened a veto.

The administration, lawmakers and outside analysts said the measure, which exceeded President Bush's request by $4 billion and what the House approved last month by $2 billion, included items like relief for New England fishermen, coral-reef mapping in Hawaii and a new home for museum specimens.

''Nonemergency pork barrel spending continues unabated,'' said Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona and a Senate scold on the subject. ''It is unfortunate that in a time of war my colleagues cannot curb their appetite.''

Democrats defended the spending as justified and said critics were nitpicking a measure that would improve national security.

''Why some people would come to the floor and attempt to be critical over monies that are for the defense of our homeland is beyond me,'' said Senator Robert C. Byrd, Democrat of West Virginia and chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

As debate began, the Senate moved quickly to respond to a lobbying campaign by US Airways against restrictions on airline loans created after Sept. 11, easily passing an amendment that would remove the limits and help the airline seek federal aid.

Senators were also considering using the bill as a vehicle to resolve other sticky financial matters, including a raise of the federal debt ceiling.

Mitchell E. Daniels Jr., director of the Office of Management and Budget, delivered the administration's view on the bill in a luncheon meeting with Republican senators. ''The president requested all that is needed and all that is affordable,'' Mr. Daniels told reporters later.

In carving out a negotiating position to push the spending level down, the administration used tough language in a statement, saying it ''strongly opposes this bill.''

Republican leaders also took aim at the supplemental bill, with Senator Trent Lott, the minority leader, telling a group of visiting builders that some in Congress were treating the terrorism emergency ''like a cookie jar.''

Representative Dick Armey, the Texas Republican who is House majority leader, also ridiculed aspects of the bill, singling out ''spending like $2 million for worm collection, enough said.''

In fact, the $2 million will go to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History for planning of a new storage facility for animal specimens in the Maryland suburbs.

Also singled out as extraneous was $11 million in economic assistance to be provided to fishermen in four New England states who suffered losses due to new fishing restrictions.

Tom Schatz, president of Citizens Against Government Waste, pointed to the $2.5 million for coral-reef mapping. ''Last I heard, Al Qaeda was not swimming around coral reefs,'' he said.

Supporters of the measure in the Democratic-controlled Senate said that some provisions being criticized had been originated by Republicans and that the bill was a serious attempt to improve domestic security.

''It is time we understand this bill is important,'' said Senator Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada and the assistant majority leader. He said that money in the measure would go toward food safety, border security, cybersecurity, postal protection and guaranteeing the safety of the water supply. --------------------

Air Hijacking Drill

DENVER, June 4 (AP) -- Two jets packed with people took off today from Salt Lake City and Whidbey Island Naval Air Station at Oak Harbor, Wash., in a twin hijacking drill designed to improve coordination among American and Canadian agencies. Fighter jets from the North American Aerospace Defense Command scrambled to respond to the simulated hijackings, and ran through several scenarios, including one that involved shooting down the planes.